


Peace In The Valley

by Ninebreaker



Category: Sonic the Hedgehog - All Media Types
Genre: Existential Dread, Fluff, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Musings and feelings, Spiritual
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-28
Updated: 2020-10-28
Packaged: 2021-03-08 19:08:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,541
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27251707
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ninebreaker/pseuds/Ninebreaker
Summary: Observational studies regarding anomalous blue hedgehogs rarely tend to be satisfying. Omintago, a native owl girl, is doing her best to help her newest friend, but even now, she has doubts about her own abilities.
Comments: 1
Kudos: 7





	Peace In The Valley

Trees rustling. Wind coasting. A modest overcast settled upon the distant valley, casting a sheet of gray over the normally verdant hills. Bright green grass became pale under the cloudy stare of the sky. An eye into another world from above. Were the gods moody today? Perhaps.

Even so, weathering the changes of nature weren't anything special. There was a sense of calm that seemed to wash over everything. Even now, his heart wouldn't rest despite this reassurance. Nothing felt right anymore.

"Focus not on a person, but a place."

He did that all the time. He thought of places he wanted to explore, to see and experience in any way he could to add to his mental scrapbook. One more picture taken to stow away for later. He breathed in through his nostrils. Then out through his mouth.

"Focus."

He had it.

Ironic then, that the one place he didn't think he'd come to was a beach. One with crystal blue waters that seemed to be almost entirely transparent. A fresh water bay. A boat some eighty or ninety feet away from a sandbar, catching skipjack tuna and wrestling with a mako. A chair and a fruity drink with a silly little umbrella and a plastic sword with an olive skewered on the end.

It was paradise and he couldn't be happier.

The overcast returned. With it came a violent wind ripping through the water and kicking up sand. Beach umbrellas were thrown up and torn from the ground, flinging off to who-knows where. The crystal waters turned murky and dark green. In seconds, a great wave seemed to form, becoming a terrifying wall, looming over him, before crashing down and consuming his entire being. The water was boiling him alive. He couldn't breathe. He couldn't breathe.

Sonic snapped back to the present, lurching forward and collapsing into himself. One of his hands flew to his chest, grasping at the peach fuzz that took up his torso. His heart was lit aflame and he couldn't breathe. That was the worst part about it all. He couldn't breathe.

"It's okay. You're okay." A serene, almost harmonious voice pierced through the veil, sending a wave relief through his agonized body. It did little to soothe the pain he felt, but it was something. A brown feathered hand laid itself on his shoulder and on his hand. Then, a hand on his chest, fingers grasping at the surface slightly.

"Why?" Sonic the Hedgehog croaked out, almost on the verge of letting go of a brief, choking sob but swallowed it down out of personal pride. Why did it hurt so much? The only other soul in his immediate vicinity didn't have a good answer. She'd spent a long time trying to find out, and while she could identify the root cause, tackling the problem was a different beast altogether. A problem she'd been trying to guide this hedgehog on for a month now, with little effect.

Not that she didn't mind helping, but she was growing increasingly worried for this blue boy no older than 15. He'd come to her looking for guidance. She didn't feel as if she was doing a good enough job.

She didn't answer him. Instead, the brown feathered girl gently smoothed out the unruly fur in places that didn't have those obscenely sharp quills. Sonic involuntarily leaned forward, nearly collapsing his head into the owl's lap. His body lay in a half crumpled heap, letting the cool grass of the hill soothe his aching, blazing body.

The sky above them turned blue.

Ominotago, or Omi for short, turned her gaze skyward. She didn't like what she saw.  
  
<hr>

"How is the boy?"

Omi hesitated to answer. Kiwidinok could sense the apprehension. One didn't need sight to know just how anxious the owl was feeling. She turned to the elder eagle sitting upon a mat, gazing intensely at the Grey Herald. Omi, for her part, stood by the window, turning her sight to the outside.

"He's..." Her cheeks upturned into an uneasy crease. A thumb was brought to her beak, absently chewing on the tip. A habit formed out of endless nights of study.  
"I'm not sure." she finally ended on an uneasy note, turning to the elder eagle, leaning back on the wall of the hut as she folded her hands together behind her back.

"Elaborate." The elder Kiwidinok kept both hands on her knees, fixing her stare upon Omi.

Omi looked down a bit sullenly before letting go of a breath, turning her gaze back to the window again. The subject in question was outside, playing a game of soccer with the young ones. His aura, a normally fiery gold, was just a sparking, bloody crimson, lashing out in terror and anger, indignant on its own right. She could see the auras of the young ones flitting around him as they battled for supremacy of the ball. All cheerful blues and greens and pinks and-

It was at times like this she wished she could have known what he looked like. He always sounded so jovial and easy-going. It was alarming, knowing how badly his spirit was damaged. Sonic, seemingly, didn't care, even if Omi had told him a few times just how dangerous using the Chaos Emeralds like he did was. He'd just about irrevocably damaged his spiritual self, and she doubted he'd ever be the same metaphysically. It was hard not almost breaking down crying just from being around him. The sheer _pain_ he was in every day.

And it was only getting worse as the days went by.

"He's alright." She half-lied to the elder, starting on a positive note. "But the turmoil inside him rages endlessly. Something happened to him when he used the Emeralds. Nothing we've ever seen before in our history books or otherwise."

The elder eagle let out a noise of contempt, crossing her broad arms in thought. Sonic had been staying at the village for a month and very little progress had been made. It was agreed between the Wolf and Spirit tribes that the hero that saved the entire planet get the help he deserved. It was the least they could have offered.

Sonic, being a herald, held an intrinsic connection to Omi, another herald. It was surmised that only a herald could help another herald in this case, and Omi had nearly jumped at the chance to not only meet the Hero of Mobius, but to finally meet another herald! She agreed to do her best job to help him.

"He did not know the danger of using the emeralds, even with the Master Emerald holding the chaos in check." How could he, Omi bitterly thought to herself, placing a hand on the window sill, leaning on the frame, placing her head within folded arms, leaning down. Slate gray eyes slowly followed the red blotch.

"I'm not sure what to do. Our meditation sessions only seem to work for so long until he starts breaking down. It's almost like..." Omi trailed off, unable to find the word that had been lodged within her throat. She didn't want to say it.

"An infection." The elder finished. It was her best guess, at least. Too bad there was no such medicine in the world to cure such an infliction. Just like Sonic seemed to be, this terrible curse held the most unique properties, much like Sonic himself. A scientist might say that his body was suffering a paracausal abnormality, but what did science know of matters of the universe? Har har.

The emeralds are as chaotic and arbitrary as the rest of time and space. Omi found it endlessly aggravating.

"That's what happens when you make a desperate bid for power." The elder said, matter-of-factly. From the way Sonic told it, he had been pushed to the edge and wished for ultimate strength. If he hadn't...

"Might controls everything where he's concerned. Without his strength to guide him, he could not protect even a mere fly, let alone himself or his loved ones." Omi didn't want to agree with the elder, but Sonic had made a tragic mistake when he turned "super."

Omi didn't find anything super about that golden monstrosity. It was slowly killing him. She never felt more powerless.

She wanted to snark something terrible at the elder. Omi had to remind herself of her manners just for a moment before she said something she might regret. That boy was rubbing off on her.

"The price to pay for power is a dire one." She concluded, closing her eyes. What could she reasonably do? Rituals, meditation, remedies... they all helped him in some way, but it wasn't enough. She felt helpless.

"Go see him, young herald." Omi stood up, unprepared for the elder's statement. Her gaze turned to the elder.

"Kiwidinok?" She asked, curiously. She wouldn't have said something if she didn't mean to mire it in an obtuse tip on how to proceed.

"I didn't stutter." Kiwidinok apparently thought it was funny to not say anything else, given how she was smirking and Omi's frustrated groan. She could _hear_ the elder smirking, too. Endlessly frustrating, even if she was one of the wisest elders. Old people just seemed to be allowed to be snarky if they got that old.

Omi's hand grabbed ahold of the tapestry acting as a door to the outside, the roughworn cloth beneath her digits was a comforting feeling. The cool breeze of the valley managed to sneak in, as she left the elder's hut, ruffling her head feathers. The caress of nature did little to soothe her frayed nerves.

Instead, she turned her gaze to the small field just outside of the hut, where her current attention was held. It wasn't an impressive field by any means, but it was theirs, and it was the childrens playground when they wanted to play games of varying skill and action. The cool grass beneath their talons scraping the fine dew of the morning, flicking it about with abandon.

She would never admit it under normal circumstances, but she somewhat envied the kids. The children of the tribe had duties, to be sure, but they were still children, and they were allowed reprieve, to let their minds wander and imagine as children do. It was only during her long nights of study and mediation, in which she had come to brief lapses of concentration, did her mind wander to other places, and imagine what they might look like.

It wasn't easy to remember she couldn't see a damn thing.

It was still something she was coming to terms with, on her own time. While she might not have had sight from birth, she was at peace with this fact, as she had a different kind of vision regardless. One of unparalleled accuracy to the living world. She could see, alright, but not in any way just anyone could understand. A form of vision that let her see all living things, regardless of nature thereof.

Was it really true if it was the only truth she'd known?

Vague shapes in a vast sea of inky blackness adorned by colorful hues of all living things. Nature had greens and blues. Living things had pink, purple, light blue... even yellow and orange and every color of the spectrum therein. All warm, bright colors signifying the presence of life all living creatures could reliably call theirs. Formless and yet complete at the same time.

One such aura was much bigger and more pronounced then the ones of the children flitting around it like a firepit. If the fire was an angry, sparking red that looked more like electricity surging out and lashing in confusion, pain and fear. She hated seeing that awful, crimson blanket surrounding and taking on the broad, upright shape of Sonic The Hedgehog.

Sonic. A blue hedgehog (so he said) who could run faster than anything else alive. A fact he was endlessly proud of. Though he hadn't always been so quick on his feet, it was theorized he'd gotten such a power from being the Green Herald. He hadn't taken that- what he called an accusation- very well. Not because he was upset, but rather it just seemed to stoke the fiery indignation of his spirit to get stronger in other ways. Sonic had come to the conclusion that he'd only get faster as he aged, so why not work on his other skills as he did so?

That boy continued to surprise Omi to no end, even a month into their mentor-student relationship, he somehow kept finding new ways to surprise her, both good, bad, and indifferent.

While he was impatient, reckless and otherwise a daredevil, down below his surface mannerisms lay a cunning, clever and good-natured soul that knew how to roll with the punches and make every situation one to be remembered. Omi couldn't imagine what cosmic forces came together to create Sonic, but she was thankful nonetheless.

Even now, as it pained her just sensing his presence.

It wouldn't always be so.

When Sonic first arrived at their modest village in the valley, he'd come in with a blazing, bright golden aura she'd only briefly seen during one uneventful day months ago. To her, that particular day was nothing special... but it was history in the making for everyone else. How could she have known that bright golden sun was none other than Sonic, saving the planet from certain doom? It was so powerful and so bright, she briefly thought a new sun had formed somehow, as it was larger encompassing who he was and how he acted and saw things, but no, it was just Sonic.Was it a side effect of his powerful spirit? The emeralds were not sentient by any means; they simply acted as necessary to ensure balance in the universe.

Would Sonic always have this kind of aura if he was not a herald? Why wasn't it green? Or even light gray or blue to signify his inherent connection to the forces of wind and air? She had many questions and managed to answer precisely none of them. The owl could only fathom that Sonic was just that strong in his own way. Sonic was a force of nature. No two ways about that.

Then it would make sense that a force of nature would also be just as subject to change as the rest of nature and beyond should the powers that be demand it. Over time, as Sonic had asked for help concerning the rising pains in his chest and his mind, did the swollen red aura slowly overtake the shimmering gold one.

At first, it was just small leaks. She had been afraid she'd angered him in some way- Auras usually changed gradually when a new set of emotions came through, so it came as a surprise when his would shift so suddenly. He didn't take time to think about how he felt. He just did, and acted. This subtle mix of a bloody red mingling with the gold flames was an odd feeling that seemed to wash over her person. His mere presence was enough to feel what he was feeling. It wasn't rage or anger- it was a form of _sickness._ An infection, as Kiwidinok put it.

Being an empath was apart of her job description. Omi too, felt the plague that had taken over Sonic's very metaphysical being, yet he refused to really elaborate on what he was feeling beyond a vague description of headaches and chest pains. Once Sonic had finally gotten around to telling Omi what happened that fateful day, how it came about was just as horrifying to her.

The tale of the hero saving the world from a mad human over that area of space now known as Doomsday would be a tale told for decades, if not a century, to little boys and girls looking for a classic bedtime story about good versus evil. If only it was that simple.

Sonic, in a time of crisis, had done the unthinkable; an act that would be considered a severely punishing crime that would see him ostracized and abandoned, much like the doctor he'd come to kill that day. She supposed it was history having a laugh at their expense.

Sonic wasn't proud of what he'd done. He didn't like that he had to do it in the least bit. Anyone at such a young age as he taking a life would be irrevocably changed, no matter who they are. Not even Sonic could say he was unperturbed. Instead, he'd confessed he felt something of a mixture of melancholic anger directed at the brash actions of those responsible for inadvertently creating this mess.

His uncle, a renowned scientist, had told him everything. How This "Doctor Eggman" had come to be, and just why exactly he had to perform an act that would most certainly be frowned upon by the masters of the universe if they ever came to find out.

One wouldn't think such a simple wish would be so profane, yet the very nature of the Chaos Emeralds deemed it to be for no other reason other than that's how it's always been. In a time of great crisis, it was said the Heralds would come again to prevent great tragedies.

Sonic had to do it alone.

So too then, it would make sense he was not strong enough to do it by himself. With the way he described it, he hadn't wished for anything more than one, simple thing. She had asked him what his wish of the Emeralds was. 

"I need more power."

Omi couldn't reliably describe the dread that had pierced her heart and made her blood run cold. A heavy heart was laid bare as he told her of the dire mistake he'd committed. A necessary mistake that could have very well costed him his very existence in all planes of reality, but he had done the terrible deed and he had to pay the price one way or the other. With time he might heal the scars on his spirit, but they would be there for the rest of his days.

She felt no ill-will towards Sonic. On the contrary, she had proffered her hand, threading her digits into his. These days, they did indeed anchor the troubled hedgehog here in reality, when his mind wandered more than his feet did.

It became their unspoken custom between the other. Omi couldn't figure out when it became their regular greeting, but she wasn't one to complain. Being able to get a reliable image in her mind about just what he looked like provided a great deal more personality to the cocksure voice of the cheerful hero and his mannerisms.

Plus, it was kind of nice to get to touch a boy without getting chastised for it.

"Omi!"  
  


Speak of the devil. The red aura had turned towards Omi, and one vague hand-shape-mass-thing extended to the heavens, before waving back and forth in an excited manner akin to a child getting to see his best friend for the first time in a while.

Omi had been snapped out of her reverie, pulled away from the complex road of her mind and back into reality. Or whatever the hell amounted to reality to her. With no hesitation whatsoever, she gave a small smile and waved back, though in a vastly more subdued manner.

The Cherry-red Sonic shape came bounding into her direction, the soft thuds against the earth of his heavy footsteps a clear indication of his intent. With a practiced grace, Omi had outstretched her hand, prepared to catch the speedy hedgehog barreling toward her.

Just as he came near, the sonic-shape stopped on a dime, walking calmly closer. That same instance saw her slightly wringing her hands together.

Sonic pulled back slightly. Omi wondered if he was her root to the world as she was for him.  
"How did the meeting with your elder go?"

Omi let out a humming-like response, tilting her head forward, to pinch the bridge between her eyes.

"That bad, huh?" She didn't shake or nod her head. Just grumbled. Sonic made an odd little clicking sound via his tongue. Pulling away just a moment, Sonic repositioned himself so his arm could more naturally hook itself around Omi's arm at the elbow. Slowly, she threaded her digits into Sonic's, grasping ahold of his strong, warm hand.

"It wasn't totally bad... Just some perspective refreshment, I suppose." Omi offered her reply, tired and only mildly irritated with herself. Sonic's mouth curved a bit in curiosity, but chose not to press the matter. Instead, he simply walked by her side, towards the field the children he'd just been playing soccer with kicking a ball about.

"I guess that kinda stuff is necessary, yeah?" He had such an odd way of speaking sometimes. As they walked a bit towards the side of the field, turning to face the center, Omi's hand clenched his forearm somewhat harder, as she thought of everything that had been happening up to now.

"Don't sweat the small stuff." It was hardly small, but he was naturally deflective when it came to his own feelings, only extending this sentiment to other people he trusted fully. It made the Owl feel secure, in a way. Even with his hand entwined in hers, she felt safe knowing he was nearby, unable to really slip away.

She supposed it was because of his abnormal heart beating at frenetic paces normally reserved for hummingbirds. But no worse for wear? Sonic was an anomaly, to be sure.

But even anomalous things had to abide by rules, even if it was their own set of them.

"You know you're still sick, Sonic." The red mass morphed a bit into a strange shape, which just translated to Sonic rubbing his nose out of habit. He knew what she meant by that statement. It wasn't a topic he was too happy to discuss, but it was necessary in understanding the forces gripping his being.

"So what if I pissed off a god or two? I saved a planet, didn't I?" Omi chuckled, bringing a palm to her cheek to rub away the rising blush of embarrassing humor. She shouldn't have found that funny, but his irreverent attitude held an infectious tinge. Sonic smiled back, but not down at the girl holding his hand. He knew she could tell he was. On occasion, it felt condescending to look at her when she wasn't looking at him.

"Perhaps, but you must take it easy." Sonic merely shrugged. At some point in their conversation, the duo had walked closer towards the makeshift field, idly watching the kids play together. Sonic, for his part, didn't seem that much in a hurry to get anywhere. Not that he didn't make it unclear about his eventual departure, but even he had to slow down sometimes. You couldn't bottle up wind after all.

"We still don't know the full extent of what using the emeralds have done to you. But..." Omi's head craned down out of shame. Sonic looked over at her, with an eyebrow quirked.  
"Nothing good." He responded cooly, turning his attention to the sky. Jade eyes swerved across the endless expanse, looking for answers he'd never find.  
"I could do without the constant stomach and chest pains. Treating them like indigestion can only do so much."  
Omi turned her attention back to Sonic, brow furrowed in worry.  
"It's much more serious than eating bad food, Sonic. You could... could..." Not finishing the sentence left a bad taste in her mouth. Did she not have the power to face the truth?

Sonic scoffed.  
"Like I'm gonna let some supernatural stomach ache stop me." He let his words hang, pursing his lips as he carefully thought about what to say next. He didn't want to worry Omi if he could help it. Obviously this whole ordeal has put a great strain on her; one that nobody should experience. It almost made Sonic curse the gods that created the damn things. It probably would've been bad for his health, but how much worse could it get? Probably remarkably so, if his track record was any indication.

In the end, Sonic sighed, bringing a hand up and around, turning to face the owl girl to rub her back in a reassuring manner.  
"If anyone can figure out what's wrong with me, I'm sure it'll be you. You won't let me down."  
Omi wanted to say she could. Oh, she absolutely would help in any way she could, but how? This infliction was beyond anything they'd seen, and it was progressing in a slow, but steady and virulent way.

The worse his aural being got, the sicker Sonic seemed to become. More fatigued, dizzier at random intervals, unable to really eat consistently, on top of joint pains and increasing moments where his hands were unnaturally cold. He was breaking down bit by bit as a punishment for bringing balance to the forefront. Right now, he wasn't too worse for wear, but how long until he experienced more chest pains? How long until he was consumed by a fever? Each theorized outcome left Omi with a pit in her stomach.

In her part, she felt endlessly guilty for not being there with Sonic. As a Herald, it was her duty to keep balance by bringing order to chaos. But, as far as either of them knew, the only heralds currently existing were her and Sonic. The emeralds would choose others, but they had no way of knowing which ones would be chosen as a herald, let alone such ancient traditions existing in the first place.

Omi's mind raced with the dire implications until she was snapped out of her stupor once more, to the sound of Sonic encouraging the children on the field to kick the soccer ball harder. With no sound, a deep sigh left her, closing her eyes to rest her weary 'vision'. It would do her no good to worry like this. Perhaps she needed solace? To get out of her own head. Sonic seemed to have the right idea.

Taking a cue from the strange hedgehog, Omi silently made her way to the side of the field, to instead sit upon a bench reserved for onlookers. While she couldn't see details, it was abundantly clear that Sonic was giving the kids quite a workout. Keeping the ball away from the boy and girl with his expert footwork. He must've been quite the bane against his classmates during his school years.

It would've been easy to get lost in the reverie had her eyes not flicked towards Sonic every so often. That same dull pain would course right through her temple, reminding her all too much of the stakes at hand. Maybe it wouldn't be such a bad idea to take a nap? It was still early in the day, and there wasn't much to do except tend to Sonic and everyday needs of the village. She could afford to doze off for a few minutes.

She dreamt of the hedgehog.


End file.
